Given name & surname
Clary
“famously bright”
In Swedish use, Clary has a related form in Klara. In Scandinavian use, Klara carries the interpretation “famously bright.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Swedish use, Clary has a related form in Klara. In Scandinavian use, Klara carries the interpretation “famously bright.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Clary through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 485
- 177 boys · 308 girls
- Most popular year
- 1923
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #13,566 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −33%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 13,566 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 33.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 18 in 2017. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 588 as a first name in 2020; 10,741 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Clary’s family of names
In English usage, Clary has a conventional equivalent in the German form Clara. In Swedish usage, Clary has a related form in Klara.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Clary
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Clary, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Clarice
“fame”
>99% girls
Charline
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Lavergne
Lavergne is a surname from French. It is used in English and French.
3% boys · 97% girls
Berdine
“one who has bearlike strength and courage”
>99% girls
Zita
“patron of housewives and servants” · “little rose”
>99% girls
Antoinette
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
>99% girls
Mary
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Alexandrine
“helper and defender of mankind”
>99% girls